Knitting-machine needle.



R. W. SCOTT.

KNITTING MACHINE NEEDLE.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 1, 1913.

997,732. H Patented May 26, 1914 Warren s'ra'rns PATENT ornron.

ROBERT W. SCOTT, 0F BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO SCOTT & WILLIAMS, INCORPORATED, OF CAMDEN, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

rmrrrrnsaaacnrnn NEEDLE.

specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed October 1, 1913. Serial No. 792,872.

To all whom. it may concern- Be it known that 1, ROBERT W. Sco'r'r, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Knitting- Machine Needles, of which the following is a specification.

An object of my invention is to provide a knitting machine needle capable of operation at a high linear speed without breakage, which needle will place a minimum strain upon the yarn engaging it and will have other advantages.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation illustrating one position of the needle latch or presser; Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section through the latch or presser; Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 shows typical cross-sections on the line 4.-4, Fig. 1; Fig. 5 is a diagram showing the usual relation of the yarn to the parts of the needle.

In the usual construction of latch needles for use in knitting machines the needle comprises a shank, a hook, and a pivoted latch to cover the point of the hook whenever said latch is encountered by a loop of yarn n1ov-' ing toward the head ofthe needle. One of the chief factors limiting the size of the knit loop which may be made upon one of these needles is the necessary width of the hook, which is short and rigid. The latch for covering the said hook makes an angle with the shank of the needle subtending the gap between the shank and the point of the hook. If the slope of the angle is too sharp, an additional frictional strain upon the yarn loop being cast over the said latch and free end of'the hook is occasioned. The latches of the prior art therefore are relatively long, to reduce this angle as much as possible. frequent cause of breakage of such latches is found in the hammer blow delivered upon the short rigid hook by the rapidly moving latch when the needle is drawn through a loop of the yarn acting to close the latch. This is known to be the limiting factor of the linear speed which may be given the needle.

The comparatively long latches of the prior needles are also open to objection because the necessary freedom of the'needle in its roove or of the latch in the slot of the fiance les permits a multiplied movement of the end of the latch which is increased as the latch is increased in length-so that in the cases of machines having webholders or other instruments standing between the needles, or of' rib knitting machines, the swinging latches interfere with the shanks of the needles of the other set, with said instruments, or with the web-holders,-and impose a limitation on the gage or distance apart of the needles dueto the tendency of a latch, the free movement of which is interfered with, to sever the yarn.

My new needle comprises a shank l, which may be of the same construction as that of the needles of the prior art. This shank reduced in cross-section toward its point or end 2, and the reduced portion bent over to form a comparatively long, thin hook or heard 3. The finished needle is givena spring temper-to make the beard 3 resilient. In the shank of the needle near the reduced portion 2 I mill a slot 4: completely through the needle, in which slot a short, rigid, swinging latch or presser 5 is pivoted at 6. The length of the latch, the position of the point of the hook or heard when at rest, and the diameter of the yarn may be proportioned substantially as shown in Fig. 5. The point of the open heard is at aposition bringing it within the are swept by the end of the latch. It will be see that the are described by the presser is rel tively very small in proportion to the are necessarily swept by needle latches as now known.

In order to support the beard or hook 3 against lateral deflection during the stitch forming movement, which lateral deflection may be can ed by the uneven stress ofthe knitting y rn, I preferably form the end of the lately-5 as a channeled part 8, which presents in cross-section on a plane transverse to the latch a U-shaped figure, the open side of the channel pointing toward the needle shank when the latch is closing. The longitudinal section of the latch may be such as to cause the channel to isolate lateral parts 9 of the walls of the latch at the extreme point of said latch.

The short latch is comparatively rigid laterallyof the needle and has but slight tendenoy to be displaced laterally, due either to failure to fit in its slot, or to actual bending of the metal; this enables me to employ the latch as a lateral support for the beard, which is subjected by the yarn drawn Patented. Ma 26,1914.

and avoid through it to lateral strains occurring normally after the closure of the latch, i. 6. during the stitch drawing movement of the needle.

It will be seen that the closure at the latch 5 will determine the bending oi the beard toward the milled slot 4; in the. shank of the needle; that the formation of the end 8 of the latch Will cause the point of said heard to remain in line with the latch 5, faults due to the slippage of the hook from under the end of the latch durlatch 5, because of the reduced ing stitch drawing as well as securing the holding of the beard in its proper plane with respect to the shank 1.

The structure made up of the beard 3,

the closed presser or latch 55, and the portion 2 of the needle. is thinner from back to front than a rigid-hook latch-needle will be the aid of yarn-sinking or loop-measuring devices. To this end, the cross-section of the metal of the reduced portion of the nee,- dle at the neighborhood of the bend 7 may be circular, or half-circular, or'lenticular, as shown in 3, to present a smooth surface to take against the yarn.

I am aware of the patent to Gary No. 47,488, dated August 25, 1865, which discloses broadly the combination of a spring hook with the familiar comparatively long latch, "Which combination I do not herein claim.

lVhat I claim is A spring needle for knitting machines comprising a shank, a reduced portion turned upon itself to form a comparatively long hook having a resilient point or beard, and a short rigid member pivoted to swing in an arc contacting with the point of the beard, said member having a channeled end interlocking with said hook in the plane in which the member swings.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name in the presence of the subscribing Witnesses.

ROBERT W. SCOTT. Witnesses:

Minor G. CROZIER, MARY F. GRIFFIN. 

